UNDP Highlights How Cocoa Farming Can Support Livelihoods and Restore Nature

New York, August 14, 2026: Cocoa is much more than the key ingredient behind chocolate. For millions of farming families, it represents income, tradition and a connection to the land. At the same time, cocoa-growing regions are facing mounting environmental and economic pressures that are forcing communities to rethink how the crop is produced.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has highlighted stories from cocoa-growing communities across several countries, showing how farmers are working to protect forests, restore degraded landscapes and strengthen their livelihoods while continuing to produce cocoa.

Cocoa at the Heart of Rural Communities

The journey of a chocolate product begins long before it reaches a supermarket. Cocoa beans are cultivated largely by small-scale farmers whose work supports households and rural economies.

For many farming communities, cocoa is closely connected to family traditions. Farming knowledge is often passed between generations, making the crop an important part of local identity as well as an economic resource.

However, farmers are increasingly dealing with challenges that can threaten both their incomes and the natural environments surrounding their farms.

Climate change, unpredictable markets, land degradation, deforestation and biodiversity loss are creating additional risks for cocoa-producing communities.

Indonesia’s Cocoa Revival

In South Sulawesi, Indonesia, efforts are underway to revive cocoa production while improving environmental management.

UNDP reports that farmers in Kaladi Darussalam once depended heavily on cocoa, but declining prices and pest problems caused production to fall. Some plantations were abandoned as farmers searched for alternative sources of income.

A new approach is now combining improved cocoa cultivation with sustainable land management. The Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration project, involving Indonesia’s Coordinating Ministry of Food Affairs, UNDP and FAO and supported by the Global Environment Facility, is helping communities strengthen cocoa production while paying greater attention to environmental protection.

Women-led farming groups are also playing an important role in the effort, demonstrating how sustainable agriculture can contribute to both local economic recovery and community empowerment.

Protecting Forests in West Africa

Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire are among the world’s major cocoa-producing countries, making the sustainability of their cocoa sectors particularly important.

In Ghana, cocoa farming has historically contributed to changes in forest landscapes. UNDP says its programmes are supporting farmers and communities in adopting environmentally sustainable practices, including agroforestry and approaches designed to conserve trees and biodiversity.

The goal is not simply to increase cocoa production. Sustainable farming models seek to make existing agricultural land more productive while reducing pressure to clear additional forest.

UNDP’s work in Ghana has included restoration of degraded landscapes, farmer training and community-based natural-resource management.

In Côte d’Ivoire, initiatives are similarly focused on creating deforestation-free cocoa supply chains and combining agricultural production with forest conservation.

Agroforestry Offers a Different Path

One approach receiving increasing attention is agroforestry, where cocoa is grown alongside trees and other vegetation rather than relying on a simplified farming system.

Such systems can provide environmental benefits while maintaining agricultural production. Trees can contribute to soil protection, biodiversity and carbon storage, while shade can create conditions that support cocoa cultivation.

UNDP’s programmes in cocoa landscapes are encouraging farmers to adopt practices that combine productive agriculture with conservation objectives.

For communities, the objective is to build a farming system that can remain productive while reducing vulnerability to climate and environmental shocks.

New Opportunities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is another example highlighted by UNDP.

In Haut-Uele Province, cocoa producers have been receiving training designed to strengthen their technical knowledge and improve the quality of cocoa production.

The initiative connects improvements in the cocoa value chain with sustainable forest management. Producers who receive new skills can share that knowledge with other farmers, helping build local expertise and potentially opening new economic opportunities.

This approach demonstrates how investment in people can be as important as investment in agricultural infrastructure.

Supporting Young People and Women

Sustainable cocoa development can also create opportunities for groups that have traditionally faced barriers in rural economies.

In Papua New Guinea, for example, community-based cocoa initiatives are providing training in cultivation, agroforestry and biodiversity conservation. Women and young people are among those benefiting from skills development and participation in the sector.

This combination of agriculture and environmental education can help communities prepare for climate-related challenges while creating new livelihood opportunities.

Peru Links Cocoa Farming With Forest Protection

In Peru’s Amazon region, sustainable cocoa production is also being connected with financial incentives.

A government-backed mechanism launched in 2025 provides zero-interest loans to small-scale coffee and cocoa producers who adopt sustainable agroforestry systems. The initiative is supported through the Sustainable Productive Landscapes in the Peruvian Amazon project, with technical assistance from UNDP and financing from the Global Environment Facility.

Agroforestry can help farmers improve soil conditions, conserve biodiversity and strengthen their resilience while maintaining agricultural production.

The approach reflects a wider shift toward treating environmental protection and rural economic development as connected goals rather than separate priorities.

The Challenge of Making Cocoa Sustainable

The cocoa sector faces a complicated balancing act.

Farmers need sufficient income to support their families. At the same time, expanding farmland into forests can damage biodiversity and reduce the natural resources on which communities ultimately depend.

Climate change adds another layer of uncertainty. Changes in rainfall, temperature and extreme weather can affect cocoa production and increase pressure on already vulnerable farming households.

That is why UNDP’s approach increasingly focuses on landscape-level solutions, where farmers, communities, governments and private-sector participants work together rather than addressing individual farms in isolation.

A Future Beyond Chocolate

The global chocolate industry ultimately depends on the people and landscapes where cocoa is grown.

UNDP’s latest stories illustrate a broader idea: sustainable cocoa can potentially become a tool for restoring ecosystems while supporting rural economies.

From Indonesian villages rebuilding their cocoa traditions to West African farmers working to protect forests and Amazon communities adopting agroforestry, the examples show that environmental conservation does not necessarily have to come at the expense of livelihoods.

The future of cocoa will depend on whether farming communities have the resources, knowledge, markets and support required to adapt to changing environmental and economic conditions.

For consumers, a bar of chocolate may simply be a familiar food product. For the farmers behind its primary ingredient, however, cocoa represents much more — a livelihood, a family legacy and, increasingly, an opportunity to build a more resilient relationship between agriculture and nature.